JP2012141709A - Document editing device, sentence editing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that changing a document layout is difficult to keep balance and causes a large load, and changing a layout evaluation value may adversely affect other layout evaluation values, so that enormous efforts are required to analyze an influence relation of each layout evaluation value and to discover a balanced changing method, if there are an excessive number of layout evaluation items.SOLUTION: A layout can be changed to a balanced layout with enhanced readability with a small load by extracting a layout variable used to acquire a layout evaluation item value and adjusting the extracted layout variable.

Description

  The present invention relates to a document editing apparatus for adjusting the layout state of character strings arranged in a document.

  There is known a technique for optimizing the readability and beauty of a document by adjusting and evaluating a character string layout for a document on electronic data.

  As a specific example, CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) is known for adjustment (Non-Patent Document 1). In CSS, font size, character spacing, etc. can be set for character strings. In the description of the embodiment, the font size, the character spacing, and the like are called layout evaluation items for evaluating the layout state.

  As another example, the font size is automatically set based on a table proposed in Japanese Patent No. 4345772 which describes the ratio of font sizes between attributes such as “title” and “text” in a document. What is changed is known (Patent Document 1).

  As a specific example regarding evaluation, there is one proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-50351. It measures the characteristics of a given set, such as document style consistency and document identification, for designing and analyzing document layouts and combining them to calculate and quantify convenience etc. To generate a measure (score) representing the quality of the document (Patent Document 2).

Cascading Style Sheet [URL: http: // www. w3. org / Style / CSS /]

Japanese Patent No. 4345772 JP 2005-50351 A

  However, with the method described in Patent Document 2, layout evaluation can be performed, but layout optimization cannot be performed. Further, when calculating the evaluation result, it takes time and effort because a combination function called a combination function is used.

  In the method described in Patent Document 1, although optimization can be performed, only the font size can be adjusted, and other layout evaluation values such as character spacing cannot be changed. Multiple layout evaluation values can be changed by using the CSS described in Non-Patent Document 1 or by manual change. Does the change of a layout evaluation value in that case affect other layout evaluation values? It is not determined automatically. In other words, a change in a certain layout evaluation value may deteriorate other layout evaluation values. For example, as a result of adjusting the font size, the length of one line, which is another layout evaluation value, is affected, and the layout evaluation value is deteriorated. Similarly, when trying to adjust multiple layout evaluation values such as the length of one line and font size at the same time, changing one layout evaluation value will adversely affect the other layout evaluation values, so it can be done well. There wasn't. Regarding this issue, there may be a solution that analyzes the influence relationship of each layout evaluation value and discovers a change method that does not adversely affect it. However, because there are too many layout evaluation items, a change method that does not affect it is discovered. To do this, a great deal of labor is required.

  Therefore, by adjusting the layout variables that make up the layout evaluation items, multiple layout evaluation values related to the text can be changed at the same time without adversely affecting each other, making it possible to create text with improved readability. . This also makes it possible to reduce the burden of analyzing the relationships that affect each other and the burden of calculation when changing the layout.

  The document editing apparatus according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a layout evaluation item setting unit that sets a layout evaluation item for evaluating the layout of a document, a layout variable extraction unit that extracts a layout variable used to acquire values of the plurality of layout evaluation items, and a value of the layout variable Layout variable value adjusting means for adjusting within a predetermined range.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to create a document with improved readability by adjusting layout variable values.

It is a figure which shows an example of the layout optimization process of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the process outline | summary of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a layout evaluation value and a layout variable value used in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the document editing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the document editing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. It is a processing flowchart of a 1st embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing details of calculation of each layout evaluation value used in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of layout evaluation values used in the first embodiment. It is a specific example of the process of the layout evaluation value used in Embodiment 1. It is a specific example of the layout evaluation value processing used in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a processing method determination unit that determines a layout variable value adjustment unit used in the first embodiment. It is a process flowchart of the process method determination part which determines the layout variable value adjustment part used in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a process at the time of using the layout variable value change part used by 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a process at the time of using the common layout variable value change part used by 1st Embodiment. Second embodiment of the present invention It is the figure which showed the validity verification of using the processing method determination part used in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of a layout parameter change process among the process flows of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of a dependence parameter change process among the change processes of the layout in the process flow of 1st Embodiment. It is a processing flowchart of a 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of a change of a layout parameter and a layout evaluation value calculation formula coefficient among the processing flows of 3rd Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the example of another embodiment.

<Embodiment 1>
First, the first embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the text layout is evaluated and optimized for each text in the input document 101 as shown in FIG. Then, a document 102 having an improved sentence layout is output.

  An outline of this processing will be described with reference to FIG. Here, description will be given by taking the sentence 202 in the document 201 as an example. First, a layout evaluation value is calculated for this sentence 202. There are many layout evaluation items. Here, the balance of each line and the space between lines are taken as an example. First, the layout evaluation value representing the balance of each line is defined as the number of characters × character size divided by the width of the text region × number of lines. In this, the area of the text area is the denominator, of which the area occupied by the characters is the numerator. As the layout evaluation value representing the balance of each line approaches 1, the proportion of characters in the text area increases, that is, there is less white space, and the length of each line is balanced.

  The layout evaluation value representing the line spacing is calculated by character size × text region width × coefficient.

  Next, a variable appearing in at least one of these expressions is extracted as a layout variable value. This is a character size, a sentence area width, and the number of lines. In the present embodiment, a layout variable used for acquiring a plurality of layout evaluation items is called a common layout variable. In this sentence, the character size is 12 pt, the sentence area width is 84.336 mm, and the number of lines is nine. The layout evaluation value is improved by changing the layout variable value to 11 pt for the character size, 85.039 mm for the text area width, and 5 for the number of lines. The result is a sentence 204 in the document 203, and the length of each line is balanced as compared with the original sentence 202 inputted, and it can be seen that the layout is improved. Specifically, assuming that the sentence 202 and the sentence 204 are sentences composed of 106 characters, the balance value of each line is 0.591 in the sentence 202, and 0.976 in the improved sentence 204, and the value is greatly increased. It can be seen that it has improved.

  Here, the reason why the layout evaluation value can be improved by adjusting the layout variable value will be described. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between layout evaluation values and layout variable values. Here, each layout evaluation value 301 includes at least one layout variable value 302 in its calculation formula. Thus, since the layout evaluation value can be adjusted by a plurality of layout variables, the adjustment of the layout variable value leads to the adjustment of the layout evaluation value.

  Next, the configuration of the document editing apparatus according to the first embodiment is shown in FIG. The document editing apparatus includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 401, an input device 402, an output device 403, a storage device 404, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 405, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 406, and a BUS 407. These functions will be described. First, the CPU 401 performs logical operations and determinations for various data processing, and controls each component connected by the BUS 407. Next, the input device 402 is connected to a keyboard having various function keys such as alphabet keys, hiragana keys, katakana keys, character symbol input keys such as punctuation marks, cursor movement keys for instructing cursor movement, and the like. In addition, a pointing device, such as a mouse or a stick pointer, for indicating a controllable position on the screen on a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and performing a function selection instruction is connected. The output device 403 is various display devices such as a liquid crystal panel. The storage device 404 stores various information such as input / output data and processing programs.

  As a storage medium for storing these data and programs, a hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, flash memory, or the like can be used. The RAM 405 is used when temporarily storing various data from each component. The ROM 406 stores a control program such as a processing program executed in the present embodiment. All these components are connected by BUS407.

  FIG. 5 shows a functional configuration of the document editing apparatus according to the embodiment. This document editing apparatus includes a layout variable setting unit 501, a layout evaluation item setting unit 502, a layout evaluation value calculation unit 503, a layout variable selection unit 504, and a layout variable value adjustment unit 505.

  These functions will be described together with FIG. 6 showing the overall flow of the present embodiment. First, in the layout variable / layout evaluation value setting step S601, the layout variable and layout evaluation item setting unit 502 are used to set the layout variable and the layout evaluation item used this time in the RAM 405. Next, after the input document is laid out in the layout execution step S602, the number of times the layout is changed is determined in step S603. If the layout has not been finished even if the layout has been changed a predetermined number of times or more, it is forcibly terminated here. If the number of changes is less than the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S604 for calculating each layout evaluation value. Here, the layout evaluation value calculation unit 503 is used to calculate each specified layout evaluation value. In step S605, it is determined whether all the layout evaluation values calculated in step S604 satisfy the standard. If all the standard evaluation values satisfy the standard, that is, if the result is acceptable, the process ends. However, if there is even one rejected, the process proceeds to layout variable selection step S606. In step S606, the layout variable selection unit 504 is used to select a layout variable to be changed. This selection method will be described later. Then, the layout variable value is passed to the layout variable value adjusting unit 505, and the layout parameter changing step S607 is performed, and the number of layout changes is incremented by one. The layout parameter is each element constituting the layout and includes a layout variable. The layout evaluation item is an item used when evaluating the layout among the layout parameters. Then, the process returns to step S602, and the process proceeds to execution of the layout using the changed parameters, determination of the number of layout changes, calculation of the layout evaluation value, and determination of the layout evaluation value in step S605. These processes are repeated until all layout evaluation values satisfy the criteria and pass. These various processes are performed by the CPU 401.

  For each layout evaluation value calculation step S604, a more detailed description of the processing is shown in FIG. First, in order to calculate a layout evaluation value, necessary data such as a layout variable value, a document size, and a sentence usage are acquired in step S701. Specifically, there are five usages of text, document size, character size, text area width, and number of lines.

  Here, the usage of the text indicates whether the text is the text or the title, and the size of the document is determined by a paper size name or a known standard determined by a known standard such as A4 or B5. It is a specific size. Among these, the usage of the text and the document size are assumed to be attached to the document according to a known standard such as the XML format, and acquired from there. The remaining character size, sentence area width, and number of lines may be obtained from what is attached to the document according to known standards, as well as the purpose and character size of the sentence, or the sentence itself using some known technique Or from a text image. For example, for obtaining the character size, there is a method as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-122500, for example. Based on these acquired data, each layout evaluation value is calculated in step S702.

  A layout evaluation value configuration, a specific calculation method, and a processing example will be described with reference to FIG. The example of the layout evaluation value handled by this embodiment is shown. For example, the character size 801 of an annotation sentence, the space between words 802, the space between lines 803, the space between Japanese and European text 804, the width of the text area 805, the character size 806, the space between characters 807, the balance 808 of each line, the appearance frequency 809 of the same word Mushroom appearance 810. Each layout evaluation value will be described.

First, the calculation formula for the character size 801 of the annotation sentence is:
Comment text size = Text size * α (α = 0.6 to 0.8, optimal value: 0.7) (1)
It has become. The evaluation is determined based on whether or not the calculated character size of the annotation sentence is within an appropriate range. The basis of the formula (1) is as follows. Since the annotation sentence supplements the text, the character size is required to be smaller than the text size of the text. However, even if it is too small, the readability of the annotation text itself is impaired, so it must be balanced. Here, as a result of the examination, it is assumed that the text size of the annotation sentence is optimally 0.7 times the text size of the text and the allowable range is 0.6 to 0.8 times. A specific application example of the layout evaluation value is sentences 901 and 902 in FIG. The layout evaluation value is a specific value that serves as a basis for layout. In the sentence 901, the evaluation is low because the character size of the annotation sentence is too large. In the sentence 902, the evaluation is high because the character size of the annotation sentence is within the allowable range.

  With respect to the layout evaluation, whether the layout evaluation value is within the allowable range may be evaluated as good or bad, and if the layout evaluation value is out of the allowable range, it may be evaluated as good or bad, or may be evaluated as a continuous value. The value of continuous evaluation is obtained by a predetermined number of points (e.g., 80 points) where the upper and lower limits of the allowable range can be regarded as acceptable, the optimal value is 100 points, and the remaining portion is interpolated. For example, interpolation can be performed using a linear function, a quadratic function, or an exponential function. The determination of the interpolation method may be, for example, a method in which a user manually selects a learning sample that is changed one item at a time, and a plurality of people evaluates and adopts a function that can best approximate the result. . The selection may also be made according to the type of target document (poster, office document, etc.). Each layout evaluation item can be similarly evaluated for the following formulas (2) to (10).

Next, the formula for calculating the word spacing 802 is:
Word spacing = Text size of the text * β (β = 0.12 to 0.67, optimal value: 0.25) (2)
It has become. The evaluation is judged based on whether or not the calculated word spacing is within an appropriate range. The basis of the formula (2) is as follows. The space between words is a space that is inserted between words in Western text. Each word cannot be distinguished if there is no space between words, but it is difficult to read even if the space between words is too large. In the present embodiment, as a result of examination, it has been determined that 0.25 times the character size of the text is optimal, and 0.12 to 0.67 times is the allowable range between words. Specific application examples of this layout evaluation value are sentences 903 and 904. In the sentence 903, the evaluation is low because the word spacing is too wide, and in the text 904, the evaluation is high because the word spacing is within the allowable range.

Next, the formula for calculating the line spacing 803 is:
Line spacing = Text size of text * Text area width * γ (γ = 0.015 to 0.025, optimum value: 0.02) (3)
It has become. The evaluation is made based on whether or not the calculated line spacing is in an appropriate range. The basis of the formula (3) is as follows. The space between lines is a space that is inserted between lines of text. If the line spacing is too narrow, the entire text will be clogged and difficult to read. However, if the line spacing is too wide, the entire text will be extended and difficult to read. In the present embodiment, as a result of examination, it is determined that the line spacing multiplied by the text size of the text and the text area width is 0.02 times optimal, and 0.015 to 0.025 times is the allowable range. Specific application examples of this layout evaluation value are sentences 905 and 906. In the sentence 905, the evaluation is low because the line spacing is too narrow. In the text 906, the evaluation is high because the line spacing is within the allowable range.
Next, the formula for calculating the interval 804 between Japanese and European is:
Spacing between Japanese and European = Text size * δ (δ = 0.125 to 0.5, optimal value: 0.25) (4)
It has become. The evaluation is made based on whether or not the calculated interval between Japanese and European is within an appropriate range. The basis of equation (4) is as follows. The space between Japanese and European texts is a space that is placed between Japanese texts such as kanji and kana and European texts such as alphabets. Since Japanese and European characters have different character designs, they are too clogged and difficult to read unless they are spaced apart from each other than when Japanese and European characters are consecutive. Therefore, there is a space between Japanese and European. In the present embodiment, as a result of examination, it is determined that the interval between Japanese and European texts is optimal when the text size of the text is 0.25 times, and 0.125 to 0.5 times is the allowable range. Specific application examples of the layout evaluation value are sentences 907 and 908. In the sentence 907, the evaluation is low because the interval between the Japanese sentence and the European sentence is too narrow. In the sentence 908, the evaluation is high because the interval between the Japanese sentence and the European sentence is within the allowable range.

Next, the formula for calculating the text area width 805 is:
Sentence area width = character size * ε (ε: number of characters per line = 25 to 40, optimum value: 40) (5)
It has become. The evaluation is determined based on whether or not the calculated sentence area width is in an appropriate range. The basis of equation (5) is as follows. The text area width indicates the width of the text box. This width corresponds to the width of one line of the text. If this width is too short or too wide, the reading speed will drop and it will be difficult to read, so it is necessary to set it to an appropriate width. As a result of the examination in the present embodiment, the text area width is obtained by multiplying the character size by the number of characters in one line. The number of characters is optimally 30 characters, and the allowable range is 25 to 40 characters. Since the text area width also serves as a layout variable value, when changing the layout variable value, the text area width is changed within the allowable range. Specific application examples of the layout evaluation value are sentences 909 and 910. In the text 909, the evaluation is low because the text area width is too long, and in the text 910, the evaluation is high because the text area width is within the allowable range.

Next, the formula for calculating the character size 806 is:
Character size = Upper and lower limits of optimum value and allowable range in A6 to A4 * (Target document size / A4) (For B5 and above) (6)
It has become. The evaluation is made based on whether the character size is in an appropriate range. The basis of equation (6) is as follows. The character size indicates the size of characters constituting the sentence. If this size is too large or too small, it will be difficult to read, so it is necessary to make it an appropriate size. Further, since the appropriate size of the character size varies depending on the document size and the purpose of the sentence (text or title), it is necessary to adjust the character size according to the document size and the purpose. In this embodiment, as a result of the examination, first, the optimum value of the character size and the allowable range at the time of A4 are used as a reference. If it is larger than A4, use the object document as the numerator and A4 as the denominator and multiply by the ratio of the size (width or height). If the purpose is title, use the ratio of the image in the document. Correspondingly, it should be 3-5 times the text size of the text. As a standard, the optimal value is 10 pt and the allowable range is 8 to 11 pt in Japanese, and the optimal value is 10 pt and the allowable range is 10 to 12 pt in European text. Since the character size also serves as the layout variable value, when the character size is changed when the layout variable value is changed, the change is made within the allowable range. Specific application examples of the layout evaluation values are the sentences 1001 and 1002 in FIG. In the text 1001, the evaluation is low because the character size is too small. In the text 1002, the evaluation is high because the text size is within the allowable range.

Next, the formula for calculating the character spacing 807 is:
Character spacing = Character spacing (7)
It has become. In other words, character spacing itself is evaluated. Evaluation is judged by whether it is close to a reference value. The grounds for this are as follows. The space between characters indicates the space between the characters constituting the sentence. If this width is too narrow, the characters will overlap, and if it is too wide, there will be an unnatural spacing for each character and both will be difficult to read, so it is necessary to set the width appropriately. Characters are originally designed with a space around the character itself (character face), so that there is a space between characters without explicitly setting the space between characters. Therefore, in the present embodiment, 0 is the optimum value between the characters. Specific application examples of this layout evaluation value are sentences 1003 and 1004. In the sentence 1003, the evaluation is low because the character spacing is too narrow, and in the text 1004, the evaluation is high because the character spacing is within the allowable range.

Next, the formula for calculating the balance 808 of each row is:
Balance of each line = (number of characters (constant) * character size) / (text area width * number of lines) ... (8)
It has become. The evaluation is made based on whether or not the calculated balance of each row is close to 1. The basis of equation (8) is as follows. The balance of each line indicates whether or not there is a line in which the length of one line is extremely different. If this balance is poor, there will be lines in the text where white space is the majority, which will make it look bad. Therefore, it is necessary to properly balance each row. As in the description of FIG. 2, the sentence area width × the number of lines represents the area of the sentence area, and the number of characters × the character size represents the area occupied by the characters. Therefore, as this value approaches 1, the proportion of characters occupied in the sentence area increases. In other words, it means that the length of each line is balanced with little white space. Specific application examples of this layout evaluation value are sentences 1005 and 1006. In the sentence 1005, the evaluation is low because the balance of each line is bad, and in the sentence 1006, the evaluation is high because the balance of each line is within the allowable range.

Next, the formula for calculating the appearance frequency 809 of the same word is:
Appearance interval of the same word ≠ sentence area width / character size
(Number of characters per line) (9)
It has become. Evaluation is judged by whether this formula is satisfied. The basis of equation (9) is as follows. The appearance interval of the same word indicates whether or not the same word appears in the same position in a row. If it becomes the said state, it will look bad and it will become difficult to read. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the same word from appearing at the same position by continuing a plurality of lines. The fact that the same word appears in the same position in multiple lines is equivalent to the number of characters or character string between the words being equal to the number of characters per line or the length of one line. Therefore, it can be determined whether the above equation holds. Specific application examples of this layout evaluation value are sentences 1007 and 1008. In the sentence 1007, the hyphens appear continuously at the end of the line, so the evaluation is bad. In the sentence 1008, the same characters such as hyphens do not appear continuously, so the evaluation is good.

Finally, the formula for the bullet style 810 is:
Spacing between bullets and white space * Integer = Text area width / Character size
(Number of characters per line) (10)
It has become. Evaluation is judged by whether this formula is satisfied. The basis of the formula (10) is as follows. The bullet style is a bulleted form that follows a specific symbol (bullet) followed by a sentence, and is treated as a bullet, indicating whether the style is easy to read. . The bulleted list has a space followed by a space and then the sentence starts. If one item spans two lines, the second line starts just below the position where the first sentence starts. Appearance. If this shape is not satisfied, it may look bad and difficult to read, or may not be recognized as a bulleted list. It is therefore necessary to observe the format of this bullet. This determination can be made based on whether the bullet and space character appear in the same position on each line. Therefore, it can be said that it can be determined by a determination method opposite to the appearance frequency of the same word. Specific application examples of this layout evaluation value are sentences 1009 and 1010. In the sentence 1009, the evaluation is low because the bullet style is not prepared, and in the sentence 1010, the evaluation is high because the bullet style is prepared.

  In step S605, it is determined whether each layout evaluation value calculated in this way satisfies the standard. If there is a layout evaluation value that does not satisfy the criteria, a layout variable is selected in step S606, the value of the selected layout variable is changed in step S607, the layout is changed, and each layout evaluation value is set as a reference. To satisfy. Note that this change is made to the optimum value set for each variable at the time of the first change, and then changed randomly within the allowable range set for each variable.

  As described above, document layout evaluation not only determines whether there is a layout evaluation value that does not satisfy the criteria, but also the ratio of the number of layout evaluation items to the number of layout evaluation items and the average of the layout evaluation of each layout evaluation item. You may decide by. Weighting may be performed for each layout evaluation item. As a weighting method, for example, evaluation is performed by a plurality of people on a learning sample that is manually selected by a user and changed for each item, and a function that can best approximate the result is employed. It is done. Other examples include selecting according to the type of target document (poster, office document, etc.).

  The layout variables selected in step S606 may be all layout variables or some layout variables. For the selection, a layout variable value adjustment unit 1101 (same as the layout variable value adjustment unit 505) shown in FIG. 11 is used. Here, one is selected from the layout variable value adjustment unit 1101. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the processing determining unit 1102 is used in step S1201 to select a processing unit based on the number of layout evaluation values that are not acceptable.

  When the number of rejected layout evaluation values is larger than a predetermined number, that is, when the number of layout evaluation values is relatively large, in step S1202, the layout variable value changing unit 1103 is used to change all layout variable values and A process for improving the layout evaluation value is performed. A specific example in this case is shown in FIG. Here, the criterion of the rejected layout evaluation value is, for example, four. Since the input document 1301 fails the five layout evaluation values of the line spacing, the sentence area width, the character size, the character spacing, and the balance of each line, the layout variable value changing unit 1103 is used, and the layout evaluation values all pass. A document 1302 is output.

  Next, a case where the number of rejected layout evaluation values is less than a predetermined number in step S1201, that is, a case where the number of rejected layout evaluation values is small will be described. Rather than using the layout variable value changing unit 1103 to change all layout variable values, it is considered that the target can be changed more efficiently. Accordingly, the process proceeds to step S1203 and the common layout variable value changing unit 1104 is used. In the present embodiment, layout variables used in a plurality of layout evaluation items are called common layout variables. A specific example in this case is shown in FIG. In this input document 1401, three layout evaluation values of line spacing, character size, and balance of each line are unacceptable. Since these three calculation formulas all include the character size, by changing only the character size using the common layout variable value changing unit 1104, a document 1402 that passes all the layout evaluation values is output. The

  Further, when the number of rejected layout evaluation values is small, it will be described below with reference to FIG. 15 that processing can be performed more efficiently by changing the common layout variable value by narrowing down the target than by changing all the layout variable values. . The input sentence 1501 is a sentence whose character size and line spacing of the annotation sentence do not satisfy the standard. As can be seen from 801 and 803, these two layout evaluation value evaluation expressions include a common character size. On the other hand, the output text 1502 is optimized using the layout variable value changing unit 1103, and the output document 1503 is optimized by changing only the character size using the common layout variable value changing unit 1104. . In both cases, it is possible to pass the line spacing. In the former case, it is necessary to adjust three values of the character size, the sentence area width, and the number of lines, whereas in the latter case, it is sufficient to adjust one character size. Therefore, the latter, which requires only one adjustment, is more efficient.

  After determining the layout variable to be handled in step S606, the layout parameter is changed in step S607. Here, there are two steps in step S607, the details of which are a dependent parameter changing step S1601 and an independent parameter changing step S1602, as shown in FIG. Here, the parameters are the elements that make up the text layout including layout variables. Specifically, the text size, text area width, number of lines, text size of annotation text, word spacing, line spacing, and spacing between Japanese and Western text. , Character spacing, line balance, bullet style, and appearance interval of the same word. These are collectively referred to as layout parameters. The layout evaluation item is an item used when evaluating the layout among the layout parameters. In step S1601, among these parameters, there is a dependency relationship between the parameters. That is, changing one of the parameters affects the other, specifically, the layout variables such as the character size, the sentence area width, and the number of lines are changed. Therefore, these parameters must be changed in consideration of the order. The parameter having the dependency relationship is a common layout variable.

  The details are shown in FIG. As shown here, the change is made in the order of a character size changing step S1701, a sentence region width changing step S1702, and a line number changing step S1703. The reason for changing in this order is that the change in character size affects the text area width, and the change in the text area width affects the number of lines. This is because the change of the variables in the above has no adverse effect. In these changes, the character size and the sentence area width are optimal values in the first change, and are changed randomly within the allowable range after the first change, and the number of lines is the character size determined in steps S1701 and S1702. It is changed according to the width of the text area and the number of characters of the text entered. Further, the optimum value and allowable range of each parameter are determined when the layout evaluation value is calculated in step S604. These dependent parameters are the same as the layout variables as described above. Accordingly, the same parameter as the layout variable that is not handled in step S606 is not changed here, and the variable value changing step is skipped.

  In step S1602, non-dependent parameters that do not affect each other are changed. Specifically, the parameters handled here are the character size of the annotation text, the spacing between words, the spacing between lines, the spacing between Japanese and European texts, the spacing between letters, the balance of each line, the appearance of bullets, and the appearance spacing of the same word. Since these do not affect each other, the processing order is arbitrary. Each value is determined by using the layout evaluation value calculation formulas (1), (2), (3), (4), and (7). Note that the values determined in step S1601 are used for the values of character size, sentence area width, and number of lines used in each formula.

  In this way, the first embodiment is performed, but it is not always necessary to use all of the layout evaluation items and layout variables mentioned so far, and it is possible to select what to use according to the user's request. It is.

  As described above, the calculation burden when changing the text layout can be reduced, and multiple layout evaluation values related to the text can be easily changed without adversely affecting each other, creating a text with improved readability. can do. Also, the layout variable value adjustment method can be selected according to the situation, and the text layout can be adjusted efficiently.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the layout evaluation value is calculated, and the layout variable value is changed so that all the layout evaluation values satisfy the standard. Just changing the layout variable value may be inefficient. Therefore, a variation is given to the specific processing method of the layout variable value adjusting unit 505, and the processing method is changed according to the situation. In the first embodiment, the layout variable value changing unit 1103 and the common layout variable value changing unit 1104 can be selected. In the second embodiment, the layout evaluation value coefficient changing unit 1105 is added to them. In this method, by changing the coefficient included in the calculation formula of the layout evaluation value within an allowable range, the evaluation criteria are slightly changed and each layout evaluation value is passed.

  FIG. 18 shows a processing flow when this processing unit is added. Here, in steps S1801 to S1805, the same processing as in steps S601 to S605 is performed. Step S1806 is the same process as step S1201. Further, step S1810 executed when the number of unacceptable layout evaluation values in step S1806 is greater than a predetermined number is the same process as step S1202, and step S1808 is also the same as step S1203. As unique to the second embodiment, there is a process in the case where the number of unacceptable layout evaluation values is a predetermined number or less in step S1806. In this case, first, in step S1807, it is confirmed whether a common layout variable is included in the calculation formula for the rejected layout evaluation value. If there is no layout evaluation value having a common layout variable, it can be efficiently processed by changing the criterion of the individual layout evaluation value within the allowable range, and the layout evaluation value coefficient changing unit 1105 in step S1809. Is used. In this case, the coefficients of the respective layout evaluation value calculation formulas are individually changed within the allowable range, the evaluation criteria are slightly changed, and the layout evaluation value is passed. When changing the variables and coefficients for the first time, the optimum values determined for each are used, and thereafter, they are changed randomly within the allowable range.

  If there are common items, it is considered efficient to change them, and the common layout variable value changing unit 1104 is used in step S1808. As described above, this process is the same as step S1203.

  Then, using the processing unit determined by these processes, the layout parameter or the layout evaluation value calculation formula coefficient is changed in step S1811. In the second embodiment, the text layout is optimized by using these processing units. Note that not all layout evaluation items and layout variables need to be used as in the first embodiment, and it is possible to select those to be used according to the user's request.

  As described above, the layout variable value can be adjusted more efficiently by changing the coefficient of the calculation formula for the layout evaluation value according to the situation.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, a third embodiment will be described. This shows an example of processing when the embodiment 2 is implemented as a computer program. Since most of the flow is as shown in FIG. 18, the details of the processing in step S1811 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step S1901, the processing method selected in steps S1808 to S1810 is read. Then, the next processing step is determined according to the processing method. If the common layout variable value changing unit 1104 is selected, the process advances to step S1902 to change a common dependent parameter, that is, a layout variable, and then changes an independent parameter in step S1904. If the layout variable value changing unit 1103 is selected, the process proceeds to step S1903, where all dependent parameters, that is, all layout variables are changed, and then, independent parameters are changed in step S1904. Finally, when the layout evaluation value coefficient changing unit 1105 is selected, the process proceeds to step S1905, and the coefficient of the layout evaluation value calculation formula that is unacceptable is changed. In this case, since the layout parameter is not changed, the text layout itself is not changed. Then, after performing these processes, the process returns to step S1802 to execute the layout, determine the number of changes, calculate each layout evaluation value, and determine whether the layout evaluation value satisfies the criteria. In this manner, the text layout is optimized in the third embodiment. Note that not all layout evaluation items and layout variables need to be used as in the first and second embodiments, and it is possible to select one to be used according to a user's request.

  As described above, the text layout can be adjusted efficiently on the computer.

<Other embodiments>
Other embodiments include the following. First, if all layout evaluation values do not pass even after a predetermined number of changes, the most suitable layout evaluation value up to that point is adopted as the optimum one. For example, in FIG. 20, it is assumed that as a result of changing the layout variable a predetermined number of times for the input sentence 2001, only the balance of each line could not be passed. In this case, the document 2002 is output with this state as the best.

  In the first embodiment, the purpose is to optimize the layout of the input text. However, it is possible to prevent the alteration during manual editing. For example, when the character size is within the allowable range, when trying to take a value outside the allowable range by manual editing, it can be prevented and kept within the allowable range, or the editing operation itself can be canceled. it can.

  As described above, editing that impairs readability can be prevented, and the best sentence layout can be generated under a given situation.

  The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (5)

Layout evaluation item setting means for setting a layout evaluation item for evaluating the layout of the document;
Layout variable extraction means for extracting a layout variable used to acquire values of a plurality of the layout evaluation items;
Layout variable value adjusting means for adjusting the value of the layout variable within a predetermined range;
A document editing apparatus comprising: display control means for displaying a document whose layout has been adjusted by the layout variable value adjusting means.   2. The layout variable value adjusting unit according to claim 1, further comprising a selecting unit that selects the layout variable to be adjusted based on the number of layout evaluation items that do not satisfy a layout evaluation criterion. Document editing device.   The layout variable value adjusting means further comprises a layout evaluation value coefficient changing means for adjusting a coefficient used for acquiring the value of the layout evaluation item when a layout variable is not extracted by the layout variable extracting means. The document editing apparatus according to claim 1. A layout evaluation item setting process for setting a layout evaluation item for evaluating the layout of the document;
A layout variable extracting step for extracting a layout variable used for acquiring a plurality of values of the layout evaluation items;
A layout variable value adjusting step of adjusting the value of the layout variable within a predetermined range;
A document control method comprising: a display control step of causing a display unit to display a document whose layout has been adjusted in the layout variable value adjustment step. A layout evaluation item setting procedure for setting a layout evaluation item for evaluating a document layout on a computer;
A layout variable extraction procedure for extracting a layout variable used to acquire values of the plurality of layout evaluation items;
A layout variable value adjustment procedure for adjusting the value of the layout variable within a predetermined range;
A display control procedure for causing a display unit to display a document whose layout has been adjusted by the layout variable value adjustment procedure.

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